Action Hero - Arctic

[rasmusW]

Hey guys!

Wow, cool topic for an contest. It's my first contest here at zbc, so i'm really exited. There's already a bundle of cool threads here.

I've more or less spend all my time from the announcing day till now (exept from eating a nice portion of christmas duck and drinking champagne at new year), trying to come up with a cool hero.
i've had many ideas but this one, came closest to my initial idea.
Enough talk... here's my contribution.


artic_concept01.jpg
Artist name: Rasmus Warming

Name: Arctic (real name unknown)

Age: 50 years.

Abilities: His whole body can freeze, though not slowing him down or do any damage to his inner organs.
This abillity helps him in close combat, due to he doesen't need to worry about pain, because he can't feel it.
He's also known to be able to freeze components to death, by crystalline their inner. Though this only happends rarely, as he has to be really pissed to fo this.
He also ages slower due to this freezing abillity.

Weapon of choice: The ice tap found with him when he was a child.

Backstory (short version)

He was found by an british polar exploration team only 4 years old. They found him feasting on a ice bear, the little boy had just killed a few minutes prior with an tap of ice.
Brought back to England, scientists ran dozens of tests on him. Amazed by his abillities. So far none of them have succeded in explaining exactly how he's doing it, not hurting his organs in battle.
He also very quicly became of huge intrest for the secrect service. They trained him martial arts from when he was 6 years old.
He now works as heavy crime detective/minute-man, for the british governments secret service, newest project.

Yesterday, i started working on the zSphere bases aswell as first pass on his head. He looks older than he does in the conept, but i kinda like it, so for now i'll leave it be.
I recorded most of the "concepting" session. Sadly i forgot to press record after a short break, so the end is missing. Also made a little progess sheet of the same session. That you can see here.
artic_wip006.jpg

-The different levels and zSphere bases.
artic_wip003.jpg
artic_wip004.jpg

Lastly the latest wip of the head. Next i'll start working on the body.
artic_wip007.jpg


c&c is as always very welcome.

-r

[maxinkuk]

Hi, what a great headsculpt! If you carry on like that it'll be marvellous. Good story too, in the classic superheroes style I'd say.
Are you keeping body and head independent or do you plan to project the head on the body mesh?

[rasmusW]

Just thought i'd show some of my other conept ideas, just for fun.

other_concept01.jpg
Red: A super fiery woman, born from a crashing meteor.

Blue: A New York criminal detective, who's continuing his work at night as "the Watchman".

Also had a idea for a villian.
A failed psychiatrist, which brain overtook him. His abillity would be "shooting" off brain-waves to control weak minds.

-r

[Moni-Poroni]

Amazing sculpting start ...
fantastic :tu:
and I love the material you´ve chosen...
very arctic :)

Are you sculpting the head separately from the body ?

[KrakenCMT]

Nice sculpting on the head. He already has a unique character to him.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, nice head sketch. You've got such an amazing ZSkill! This one's going to be awesome. :cool:

[Hamilcar]

Nice concept! and great head good work, can't wait to see your next post :tu:

[brettSinclair]

Hey Ras. Nice to see you entered this man. Good luck for the comp :tu:

[rasmusW]

hey guys!

thanks alot for the kind words.

Moni-Poroni: thanks alot. i started out with the head, because that's where i normally got the most clear idea of what i wanna do with a character.
but as you can see in this update, i just added the body as a different sub-tool.

KrakenCMT: thanks alot christopher. glad you like him.

SolidSnakexxx: wow.. thanks :D love your work too.

Hamilcar: thanks alot.

brettSinclair: thanks alot buddy. you should enter too. i know you got some cool ideas, even though you say otherwise.

well, here's today update.
i cut off his hands because i wan't really happy about the zsphere base, but wanted to get moving. so i'll give the hand another go, next.
i started roughing in the body. there's still a lot to fix and i'll do some of it before i'll start the retopo.
as i mentioned before. hands are next. after that i think i'll do the retopo.

like last time, i did some small previews from this session.
then there's a little line up. i actually did a few corrections to the posteur after i did the character strip.

hope you like him.

lastly, i'm debateing with myself, wether or not to make him look a little younger. like he does in the concept. what's your thoughts?
artic_wip008.jpg
artic_wip009.jpg
artic_wip010.jpg
artic_wip011.jpg
artic_wip012.jpg

-r

[gregoconn]

This one is looking great so far. If you continue working at this standard through the whole project I'm sure you'll get a really nice finish at the end!

Keep it up.

[DAnconia]

seems like his neck is a bit too long. You could also bring his traps down as well. His shoulders seem to be slooping down. On the male figure the collarbone is straight across or in a slight v shape. It kind of gives him an older aged feeling. The face seems quite old as well. The more lines on the face the older the character.


Keep up the good work.

[selwy]

great work so far!!

[Hamilcar]

very nice sculpt! great work. as to your question, imho I would make him look a bit younger like the concept, because of his powers he should look younger than his age, this guy looks about 60-65.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Love the sculpt so far. The anatomy of this character's impressive! :tu:

[canndis]

nice work, like the facial features and the anatomy

[Captain Sensible]

That's real nice work man! Looking forward to more updates :)

[Flack]

Nice concept, the faces looks great as well. Keep it comming!

[rasmusW]

gregoconn: thanks alot. surely hope so :D

DAnconia: thanks for the crits. my idea was to make him look a tad old. i did make him look a little younger now, though.

selwy: thanks alot. thanks for dropping by.

Hamilcar: thanks. hope the age fits better now.

SolidSnakexxx: thanks man. glad you think so.

canndis: thanks for stopping by. please update yours soon ;)

Captain Sensible: thanks. here's one.

Flack: thanks man. glad to hear.

alright, small update this time.
did a rough sketch of where i might go cloth/color wise. i think i'll tighten up those lines some more. i want it (the white line) to look like ice taps. or atleast have the same kinda hard edges.
-also i sculpted him to look a little younger. think this fits better.
artic_wip013.jpg
artic_wip014.jpg

-r

[skullbeast]

WoW! This guy has got a chilling vibe to him. Great work! :tu: :tu:

[languidcorpse]

Nice sulpt, I likey.

[rasmusW]

thanks alot you two. glad you like him.

well... here's today's update. did the base for the hands and a few tweaks here and there. don't think i'll work anymore on proportions etc. before i'll get him retopo'ed. so next up is retopology.
artic_wip016.jpg
artic_wip017.jpg
artic_wip018.jpg

-r

[SolidSnakexxx]

Really fine sculpt here.. I also like your outfit design.. Very bold..with the pattern. :tu: :tu:

[Captain Sensible]

Great update! Keep going, I'm lookin forward to seeing this one finished! :tu:

[brettSinclair]

Great! Love the way his turning out. His ribcage is very hard I think. Maybe try soften the transition from rib to his abdominal muscles:).

[rasmusW]

SolidSnakexxx: thanks man. glad you like the suit idea.

Captain Sensible: thanks. sure hope i still got the time. quite hung up atm. :D


brettSinclair: thanks for the crit buddy. what do you think of it now?

okay, very small update this time. only a few more minor proportion fixes.
still plan to start remodeling, this weekend.
artic_wip019.jpg

c&c is as always very welcome.

-r

[sazar26]

wow what a awsome start! you diff have some zskills my man. Looking forward to more updates :cool:

[SolidSnakexxx]

The tweak you've done make him looks better. You still pan to remodel after this great result? Can't imagine what you will come up with. :) Look forward to your next update.

[brettSinclair]

Ye buddy thats looking great :tu:

[petekasim]

Whoa! So many heroes, I managed to totally miss this guy!

Very glad I caught this, It's coming along beautifully :tu: . I love the fact that his face effectively conveys an element of his "cold" character

Great work so far roughing him out, plus I took a look on your webpage - all amazing work, so I have high hopes for Arctic!

Keep it coming :)

[rasmusW]

sorry for the lack of updates, guys!
i got a bit busy at work.
so sadly i only first got started at retopoing him now.

thanks alot all four, really appriciate your kind words. really glad to hear that. keeps me going.

well, here's a little of tonight's work. think i'll get some more work, done tomorrow (-i hope).
artic_wip020.jpg

-r

[Harmonic]

Nice topo work so far. Only 3 weeks left! the pressure is building! At Least in my head it is. Hope you have time to finish your very stylish sculpt. But with the speed and quality you seem to work I think you can! :tu:

[KrakenCMT]

Looking fantastic! One thing that appears off is the placement of his ribcage. It just feels like it's a bit low or maybe bows inward too much toward the top of the ribcage.

[maxinkuk]

Impressive topology so far. And the character has got a lot of...character. With such a strong foundation I really look forward to see the progress.

[Hamilcar]

Great work! he's looking very...cool :lol: sorry bad joke. I think he's got loads of character and it's a very convincing sculpt. :tu: :tu:

[rasmusW]

Harmonic: sheesh, it's only 3 weeks. your right, i'd better get my feet going. no time for sleep now. sure hope i'll get to finish him before the deadline.
ohh! and thanks for the kind words. i'm glad.

KrakenCMT: hey christopher! thanks for the crit. yeah! i think you are right. i'll see if i can fix it after i finished retopoing.

maxinkuk: thanks alot. glad you think so.

Hamilcar: hahah.. i like bad jokes. thanks for the kind words.

here's a little more retopoing. only need to work out the arms now.
artic_wip021.jpg

i did a few videos of my progress on this dude. i split them in smaller chunks, so i was faster for me to upload them.
so far i've got the "head concept sculpting" and the first of three on the body.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17323660znyaK5ch

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17323701yHchx42R

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17324007SgrQGDaH

edit: videos are now embedded.

-r

[brettSinclair]

Nice clean topo. Well done mate :tu:. The vids didn't work though. hahaha..
damn internet..... :D

[rasmusW]

hahaha.. thanks mate. nah! just as i figured. i did direct links instead.
talk soon, real soon.. hahah.

-r

[brettSinclair]

Hhaha. Yep.. Right you are :p

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice and clean work on Topolines.. :tu: and the Vids are great. Thank you for sharing. :)

[maxinkuk]

You're world champion of topology. This looks like a perfectly animatable topology.

[Drakelot]

Cool videos and xcellent re-topo ... looking good !!! :tu:

[piek]

I wondering what you were up to :D

Sculpting heads from basic objects, sculpting bodies from ZSpheres - my hero! He looks cool, like a 50's Superhero (when they used to have nice side partings).

[rasmusW]

SolidSnakexxx: thanks alot, dude. glad you like the videos.

maxinkuk: now that's a bit overrated, but thanks.
yeah! i always (mostly) strive for a mesh that can be used for something later on.

Drakelot: thanks.

piek: hey pete... thanks for dropping by.
-hehehe... secretly doing action heroes..
the head is actually a zsphere, aswell. really glad you like him.
i haven't got unlimited time now that i've become a dad and all, so yeah! i wanted something simple, yet still action hero-ish.

weee.. finished retopoing tonight. also got to try some poses, but got nothing to show on that account.
artic_wip022.jpg

-r

[Moni-Poroni]

Great update abyss103
I love your clean Topology
nothing to crit:)

[SolidSnakexxx]

Very clean retop work...the flow of lines look so neat and tidy :tu: :tu:

[piek]

Wow, Big Daddy! Congratulations mate!

[Seavannah]

Congratulations on being a new father. Model looks really good. His face kind of reminds me of a cross between the bad guy in Final Fantasy the Spirits Within and Jack Nicholson. I love it. Keep up the great work but try and get some sleep too lol.

[rasmusW]

Moni-Poroni, SolidSnakexxx: thanks for the kind words. glad you like it.

piek: thanks dude. it's such a overwhelming experience (in an absolute good way). i love to come home and be welcomed by a baby with the biggest grin.

Seavannah: wow! thanks. that's not a bad comparison.
and thanks a lot to you too. as i said it's amazing. best i ever tried (though hard at times :D )

today i tried out one of the poses i had in mind. think i'll take this to the end.
i also had a more dynamic pose in mind, but i kinda like this "cool" attitude, like "-i don't mind standing 30 m. high atop a building, on a small sphere..."
(the sphere is just a placeholder so far).
i also started some weak steps of sculpting and one more quick shader test.
artic_wip023.jpg
artic_wip024.jpg

well, bedtime... ;)

-r

[Harmonic]

Looken good! I like the pose, I really don't think you have to go to extremes to convey a sense of drama. A solid and simple pose can work just as well.

[maxinkuk]

The stylish choice.:tu::tu::tu::tu:
He's got truckloads of attitude.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Cool pose... it does show his attitude by just his cool facial expression :tu:

[brettSinclair]

Haha. Thats awesome. I agree with maxinkuk. Truck loads. Next stop hands Toot Toot:).

[Moni-Poroni]

Hehe :) I love this mimic !Great :)
Best wishes and keep up your great work!

[rasmusW]

thanks alot gang. can't tell how much i appriciate those kind words. really glad.
here's a bit of tonight sculpting (-sorry brett, no hands. but soon).
next time i'll sculpt in this dude i'll be sure to record it. forgot this session (doh!)
next thing... make pedestal and his weapon.
artic_wip025.jpg

-r

[jp_smith]

Cool pose, I like those initial suit colors and design too! :)

[fluxist8070]

Nice facial expression and nice costume work

[Harmonic]

Wow great work on refining the anatomy, its looking awesome. It looks very organic but very crisp and the same time. :tu: His collar bone might be sticking out a bit too much.

[petekasim]

Lovely work, Abyss!


Great to see this coming along so well. Lovely and graceful work on sculpting the pose so far, I'm a big fan of your fluid style :tu:

Keep it up :)

[ncollings]

looks great abyss :) i really dig his facial expression :tu:
keep it up.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice update, I like hos the muscle move beneath the cloth folds.. Very beautiful sculpt. :)

[zeke3d]

i like how loose this feels, very sculpture. :tu:

[rasmusW]

jp_smith: thanks alot sir. love your entry.

fluxist8070: thanks.

Harmonic: thanks for the crit. i fixed the collarbone. hope this looks more natural.

petekasim: wow! thanks for the nice words.

ncollings: thanks nicolas. thanks for dropping by. hope everything is well in canada.

SolidSnakexxx: thanks alot man.

zeke3d: thanks dude.

-okay, here is an small update. i got the base in (-still hopeing to find time to do this completely in zbrush, instead of silo as it is now).
sculpted his weapon. think it still need some fine tuning.
i got some more of my progress videos uploaded (finally). hope they can be of any use...
really busy at work, so finding the time for this is gonna get hard, but i sure hope i'll manage (note to myself: -stop, whining you baby).

here's first a small progress sheet of the weapon.
artic_wip026.jpg

and here's the total progress, so far.
artic_wip027.jpg

links to more progress videos:
link01 (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17390797PwYXttg5)
link02 (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v173910748cQjwdyC)
link03 (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17391142s9nCXaPN)
link04 (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17410418Y2E3tpD7)
link05 (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v174108927eB5PTNs)

transpose video
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17411089NxtKWGZ2

-r

[brettSinclair]

Looking cool Ras :tu:

[piek]

I second Brett's motion. The pose is great, especially the lean from the base.

[SolidSnakexxx]

I like how the pose holds against the base..and his weapon's fitting him well too :)

[Moni-Poroni]

Really great mimic :tu: :tu: :tu:
and his weapon is so cool. Great idea :)

[goldo_O]

I really like your pose, expression and base! Top notch work man, keep it up!:tu:

[D Adami]

I really liked the interaction between pose and base.
Nice work!

Cheers

[Captain Sensible]

Jeez, I think I managed to miss this one. Great sculpting and a very interesting pose :tu:

[Lucky_1]

Jeez, I think I managed to miss this one me too :o

Fantastic work Abyss ...awesome Job !

[rasmusW]

thanks alot gang. really, really appriciate it.


yay! i found a hour or so to get a little done on this fella.
started polypainting (he almost looks like a drag, now. gotta fix that).
better get me feet going if i'm to make it.
artic_wip028.jpg
artic_wip029.jpg

-r

[gregoconn]

Yeah man this is looking really quality! I like your base, keep up the goodness

[brettSinclair]

Nice one ras. I'm liking the colour. His coming together well. Go go go go go... Check your little one and go go go go. haha.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, the skin color's really nice..I like the pale look you gave him! :tu: :tu:

[goldo_O]

Same as Solid: I love the skin tone, it really fits to the character :)
Keep it up Rasmus!

[wethand]

oh wow!!! how could i miss this one????

this is awesome! the whole progress is nice!
i like the simple base. this gives the hero the right value...
nice! :tu: :tu: :tu:

[rasmusW]

gregoconn: thanks.

brettSinclair: hahahahaah.. luckily she usually falls asleep in time for me to get a few hours. thanks.

SolidSnakexxx: thanks man. hope you like the update.

goldo_O: hey man. thanks alot. just saw your latest update. awesome.

wethand: thanks alot. glad you like it.

here's a little more polypaint and a few refinements to the sculpt.
artic_wip030.jpg

-r

[Moni-Poroni]

Great upate! Cool ba se and I love the colours. :tu:
And his skin looks frosty.
Great work. :)

[goldo_O]

I love your style :cool::tu:
Are you planning to add another level of subdiv for the body or is it already too heavy? The lightning pattern would look less aliased with it. Also, for someone like him, I was excpeting a colder color for the haircut, a bit like an albinos person. But the dark color might just be your base colour.
Anyway, that's a very nice work you did here :) Keep up the excellent work Rasmus!

[canndis]

Like those colors

[warriah_021]

this is very nice. im diggin that outfit and color scheme. face is also looking good.

[SolidSnakexxx]

The update's rocking! Love his facial expression a lot! :tu:

[rasmusW]

Moni-Poroni: thanks alot for the kind words.

goldo_O: hey dude. i painted the "base" at level 5 out of 6. but as you'll see completely changed all this. hair too.

canndis: thanks.

warriah_021: thanks alot.

SolidSnakexxx: thanks dude.

-r

[rasmusW]

last post on arctic...
this sure have been a fun experience. thanks all for your kinds words and awesome entries.

zbrush render:
artic_wip031.jpg

turntable:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17493499pRZMEsPe
direct link (just to be safe) (http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/educational_and_howto/watch/v17493499pRZMEsPe)

additional views:
artic_wip032.jpg
artic_wip033.jpg

transpose video:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17411089NxtKWGZ2
direct link (just to be safe) (http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/howto/watch/v17411089NxtKWGZ2)

-r